BEEP. BEEP.
Hawks stood near the massive crater in the street.
He scratched his neck and held his phone away from his ear.
The police were already hauling a hogtied Muscular into the back of an armored van.
All around the plaza, civilians were coming out of the shops. They took pictures and talked loudly.
"I'm telling you, I didn't even do anything," Hawks said into the phone.
[Boss, the HPSC alert said you were on the scene!] Wave's voice yelled through the speaker. [Is Manager Arisaka okay? We saw the villain's profile. That guy is a monster!]
"Yeah, Kaito is fine," Hawks groaned. He looked over at the wooden bench.
Kaito sat there drinking a cold soda, wearing a loose t-shirt, shorts, and a cheap pair of flip-flops.
"He's drinking a soda right now."
[Please, give him the phone!] Bip yelled from the background.
Hawks walked over and shoved the phone toward Kaito. "The other guys are giving me a headache. Take this."
Kaito took the phone.
"Hey Wave. Hey Bip," Kaito said.
[Manager!] Wave sounded completely out of breath. [Are you hurt? We were about to steal a helicopter and fly up there!]
"I'm fine. And don't steal any helicopters," Kaito smiled. "Just keep an eye on the Keigo. You two are supposed to be watching the radar."
[We are!] Bip shouted. [But man, the alert said you fought Muscular! We thought you just did paperwork and yelled at the Boss about his budget. How did you dodge that guy?]
"I just moved out of the way," Kaito said. "It wasn't a big deal. Tell the others I'll call them later."
Kaito handed the phone back. Hawks just stared at him.
"You just moved out of the way," Hawks repeated. "Fifty times."
"He was easy to read." Kaito shrugged.
TAP. TAP.
Grandma Saki and Makoto walked up to the bench. Saki immediately grabbed Kaito's arms and checked him for scratches.
"I'm okay, Grandma," Kaito told her gently.
"You gave me a scare," Saki said. She patted his cheek. "But you did good."
Makoto looked at Hawks. She crossed her arms and grinned.
Hawks pointed a finger at her. "Hey, what's with that look? I broke the sound barrier getting here!"
"And Kaito was wearing casual clothes," Makoto laughed. "And the flip flops."
A few local shop owners standing nearby heard that.
They started laughing. Hawks rubbed the back of his neck and looked totally embarrassed.
SKRRRRT.
A rugged blue SUV slammed on its brakes right at the edge of the plaza. The doors flew open before the car even fully stopped.
Four people rushed out. Hawks recognized them right away. The Wild, Wild Pussycats.
Shino ran ahead of the group. She looked terrified.
"Daiki! Yui!" Shino yelled.
She ran across the cobblestones and threw her arms around the Water Hose duo. They stumbled back a little from the impact.
"Auntie Shino!" Kota cried. The little boy ran up and hugged her leg.
Shino dropped to her knees.
She grabbed Kota and hugged him tight. She pulled back and checked his face, then looked up at Daiki and Yui.
They were covered in dried mud and looked exhausted, but they were standing.
"We are fine, Shino," Yui said softly. She placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We really are."
Shino wiped her eyes. Yawara, Ryuko, and Tomoko walked up behind her. They looked at the massive crater and the broken street.
"We were three towns over," Yawara said. His deep voice rumbled. "The dispatch alert said Muscular cornered you."
Daiki nodded. He pointed a thumb over at the bench. "He did. But Kaito walked us through the whole thing on the radio. Then he stepped in and hit the guy with a slipper."
Shino stood up. She turned and saw Kaito.
She walked straight over to him. She didn't say a single word. She just planted her feet and bowed perfectly in half.
"Thank you," Shino said loudly. "Thank you for saving my family."
Kaito stood up from the bench.
"You don't need to bow, Shino. We were all just camping together," Kaito said.
Tomoko and Ryuko walked over. They were both grinning wide.
Yawara walked over to the edge of the crater. He looked at the giant puddle of mud at the bottom.
"Look at this," Yawara chuckled. "You made them trap him."
Ryuko peeked into the hole. "Oh, wow. You turned the ground into a funnel. Just like the Handrails back on the North Ridge."
"Passive Safety," Kaito said. "If the villain is sinking into the mud, he can't use his legs to generate punching power. I just made the terrain fight him for us."
"Still the smartest guy in the room," Ryuko laughed.
She slapped Kaito hard on the back.
Daiki and Yui walked over with Kota. A few local shop owners followed them. The owner of the takoyaki stand handed Kaito and Hawks cold bottles of tea.
"On the house," the old man smiled. "You guys really saved our town."
"Thanks," Kaito nodded, taking the bottle.
The plaza was buzzing. People were talking, laughing, and shaking hands. The terrifying afternoon had turned into a massive block party.
BUZZ. BUZZ.
BRING. BRING.
Kaito felt his pocket vibrate. He pulled out his phone.
He looked at the screen. It was full of missed calls.
"I need to take this," Kaito said. He walked away from the noisy group and stepped into a quiet alley.
*-*-*-*
[Five Minutes Ago - Across Japan]
FWOOSH.
Endeavor blasted a massive wave of fire from his boots.
He tore through the sky. He pushed his heat past the redline, keeping his eyes locked on the horizon.
The HPSC emergency alert flashed bright red on his visor.
Kaito Arisaka was in the vicinity with an A-Rank villain.
"Damn! Villains." Endeavor gritted his teeth.
Kaito rebuilt his entire agency.
Kaito developed his Sun-Armor.
That man literally looked him in the eye and bluntly told him to be a better father. He owed the kid a massive debt.
The idea of some random villain hurting Kaito made Endeavor absolutely furious.
It made him sick that violent villains were getting chased out of the city only to hide in the mountains and attack the countryside. "It seems that we need to expand our patrol routes. We need to include those places."
*-*-*
THWIP.
Best Jeanist swung across a busy Tokyo intersection.
He fired his carbon-nanotube threads and pulled himself forward.
He was pushing his speed to the absolute limit to honor that promise.
On the highway, Ingenium sprinted. In the sky above the coast, Ryukyu flapped her heavy dragon wings.
But.
BEEP.
A new text message flashed on all their secure comms at the exact same time.
[HPSC Update: Target secured. Muscular captured. Hawks on scene.]
FWOOSH.
Endeavor cut his flames completely. He dropped onto a flat concrete rooftop and landed hard.
He let out a massive, shaking breath. His anger completely vanished. He was just glad the manager was safe.
Best Jeanist landed on a high billboard catwalk. He leaned against the metal railing and closed his eyes in pure relief.
All other pro heroes like Ingenium, Ryukyu, Snipe calmed down.
*-*-*-*
Kaito leaned his back against the brick wall in the alleyway. He tapped the green button on his screen.
"Hello?"
[KAITO!]
Toshinori yelled into the phone so loudly that Kaito had to pull the speaker away from his ear.
[Are you hurt?!] Toshinori practically screamed. [I saw the alert! I am putting my suit on right now!]
"Toshinori, take a breath," Kaito said calmly. "The fight is over. Muscular is tied up in a police van right now."
[This is exactly why I hate these cowards!] Toshinori argued. [We clean up the cities, and these violent thugs run away to the countryside and attack normal people! Did he hit you?]
"I don't have a single scratch. I am fine. Go back to your patrol," Kaito smiled.
[Just be careful, please. You refused to be my successor, but you are still incredibly important to me,] Toshinori sighed heavily.
"I will. Talk to you later."
Click.
RING. RING.
The phone rang again immediately. Kaito answered it.
[Kaito,] Rikiya's voice came through.
He sounded completely serious, but Kaito could easily hear the heavy relief underneath it.
"I'm fine, Rikiya," Kaito said before his friend could even ask.
[Thank god,] Rikiya breathed out.
In the background, Kaito heard the noisy underground lab.
[Is he okay?!] Chitose yelled from far away. [Tell him I'm going to find that muscle freak and print his ugly face on a trash bag!]
[Quiet down, I'm checking the local police scanners right now] Tomoyasu grumbled.
[Did the villain ruin his vacation?] Koku asked.
"Everything is handled," Kaito assured him. "The Water Hose duo took him down. I just helped a little"
Rikiya let out a long breath. [Good. Because I have some good news on my end. The training regime you gave me is working perfectly.]
"Yeah?"
[My base strength limit keeps climbing,] Rikiya sounded genuinely excited now. [I shattered the ten thousand-ton press today without even straining my muscles. I am getting closer to Hero X's power level. I can feel it.]
"Keep pushing, Rikiya," Kaito smiled. "The math doesn't lie. Just make sure Tomoyasu buys you dinner after all that heavy lifting."
[I will. Stay safe, Kaito.]
Click.
Ring. Ring.
"Hey, Rumi," Kaito answered.
[Are you kidding me?!] Mirko yelled. [I would have kicked his head clean off his shoulders!]
Rumi complained loudly. [You better not be hurt. If you are hurt, I am going to be really mad.]
"I am completely fine."
[Damn this villains, I'm doubling my patrol today. I won't let them go to rural country side to cause trouble. See you, later Kaito.]
Click.
Ring. Ring.
The phone vibrated again. Sir Nighteye.
[Kaito,] Mirai said sharply.
"I'm okay, Mirai," Kaito said.
[Tell me you didn't use your Quirk,] Mirai said worriedly. [The HPSC laws are very strict. If you fought an A-Rank without a license, they will try to arrest you.]
Kaito leaned his head against the brick.
He remembered standing on the balcony with Mirai, talking about taking detours and breaking fate.
They trusted each other completely.
"I didn't use my Quirk," Kaito told him honestly. "I just dodged him a few times. And then I just counterattacked him one time."
"...."
"...."
The line went totally silent.
[You hit an A-Rank serial villain... with a piece of foam footwear,] Mirai asked slowly. [I saw the video ok.]
"Haha. Yeah. I got lucky and hit a nerve cluster on his neck. He went to sleep."
Mirai let out a long groan. [Don't be a joker Kaito. I knew that you may have some fighting experience. But you look so natural. Whatever, you already helped dozens of pro heroes all over the world. It doesn't make sense if you don't know how to fight. Just stay safe.]
Click.
Ring. Ring.
One more ring. It was Snipe.
"Go ahead, Snipe," Kaito answered.
[Hey Kaito,] Snipe rasped. He sounded totally relaxed. He actually chuckled. [Saw the update.]
"Word travels fast."
[The guys here at the Yokohama agency are losing their minds right now,] Snipe said. [Tracer and Flak thought you were dead. I told them to shut up and eat their snacks.]
"They worry too much."
[I know how you move, Kaito,] Snipe laughed. [I remember the training sessions. I know what bullet time looks like. That big musclehead villain was probably moving in slow motion to you, right?]
"Haha. Yeah, his hooks were very bad," Kaito agreed.
[Thought so. Glad you're okay, though. Nice swing with the flip flop. Talk to you when you get back.]
"See you, Snipe."
Click.
Kaito put the phone back in his pocket. He shook his head and walked back out into the plaza.
*-*-*-*
Time: 4 Hours Later
CLINK.
Glass bottles hit together.
The long wooden table outside Tatsuzo's Inn was packed.
Huge plates of grilled beef, fish, and vegetables covered almost every inch of the wood.
Kaito sat with Makoto and Grandma Saki on one side.
Daiki, Yui, and Kota sat across from them.
The four Pussycats took up the ends of the table, dressed down in comfortable sweaters and jeans.
The patio was loud. Everyone was talking over each other and eating.
Yawara set his massive beer glass down.
THUD.
"Okay, Kaito," Yawara, Tiger, leaned forward, resting his huge arms on the table. "I have to ask. Daiki told us what happened. You fixed my hand-to-hand forms three years ago when you managed us. I know you're good. But Daiki said you stood right in front of Muscular and dodged fifty punches with your hands in your pockets."
"...."
The table got quiet.
Everyone stopped chewing and looked at Kaito.
"He really did," Daiki said. He pointed his chopsticks at Kaito. "He just swayed out of the way. Muscular couldn't even touch his clothes."
Makoto raised an eyebrow. She looked at Kaito.
Kaito picked up a piece of grilled fish.
"It is predictive muscle reading," Kaito said. He ate the fish and shrugged. "Muscular just uses raw power. He has zero martial arts training. When a guy that big throws a heavy punch, his body has to shift weight first."
Yawara nodded slowly. "The hips and the shoulders."
"Right," Kaito agreed. "Before his fist ever moved, his front foot planted. His shoulder dipped down. His hip twisted. I read the motion. I knew exactly where his fist was going before he even threw it. I just moved my head an inch out of the path."
Tomoko, Ragdoll, leaned in, her eyes wide. "Just an inch?"
"Moving more wastes energy," Kaito said. "I just side-stepped his momentum. He missed, and his own heavy weight pulled him off balance. I waited for the opening and hit the vagus nerve under his jaw."
Ryuko, Pixie-Bob, shook her head in disbelief. "You make it sound so simple. Anyone else would freeze up just looking at a monster like that."
Sip.
Grandma Saki took a slow sip of her hot tea.
She caught Makoto's eye across the table. Makoto was biting her bottom lip extremely hard.
Both of them knew Kaito was lying through his teeth. He was the reality-warping Hero X. They both looked down at their plates, trying desperately not to laugh out loud.
"My grandson reads a lot of books," Saki smiled innocently.
Shino laughed and raised her glass. "Well, whatever you did, it saved lives today. To the Golden Manager. And to Izumis."
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses.
BZZZT.
The television mounted on the patio wall flickered on. Tatsuzo walked over, holding the remote and pointing at the screen.
"You guys need to see this," Tatsuzo chuckled. "Channel four."
Everyone turned their chairs to look.
A news anchor in a sharp grey suit sat behind a polished desk.
A mugshot of Muscular sat in the top right corner of the screen. The anchor looked very serious.
[This afternoon, the A-Rank villain known as Muscular attacked a summer festival in Oita Prefecture,] the anchor reported. His voice was deep and professional. [Pro Heroes Water Hose engaged the villain immediately. The real highlight of the incident, however, came from the world-famous Golden Manager himself, Kaito Arisaka.]
The screen cut to a shaky cell phone video. Someone filmed it from the alley entrance.
The video showed Kaito standing completely still.
Muscular screamed and threw a massive, full-power right hook.
Kaito just tilted his head. The giant fist missed completely. Muscular threw a wild flurry of punches.
Kaito swayed side to side, his hands still in his pockets. He looked completely bored.
"Whoa," Kota whispered. He completely ignored the chicken on his plate.
The news anchor kept talking over the video.
[Manager Arisaka demonstrated an unbelievable level of evasion against the villain. And then, he ended the fight together with the Water Hose duo.]
The video showed Kaito kicking his foot up.
His cheap rubber flip-flop flew into the air. Kaito caught it in his right hand.
He stepped forward and slapped Muscular right in the neck.
[SMACK]
The sound picked up perfectly on the phone microphone.
Muscular's body stiffened. And the Water Hose duo give the finishing attack.
The screen cut back to the news desk.
The anchor stared at the camera. He opened his mouth to read the next line on his teleprompter.
He stopped.
The video production booth in the back of the news station decided to play the clip again.
[SMACK]
The anchor blinked.
They played it again.
[SMACK. SMACK.]
The serious news anchor totally broke. He slapped a hand over his mouth.
He let out a loud snort. His shoulders started shaking violently.
He looked down at his desk papers, trying to hide his face, but it was too late.
He started laughing uncontrollably on live national television.
[The... the villain...] the anchor wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. [The A-Rank villain was subdued... with a help of a rubber flip-flop!]
[I'm sorry. Haha.] He burst into a fresh fit of laughter, completely giving up on being professional.
The dinner table exploded.
HAHAHAHA.
Yawara threw his head back and roared with laughter. His booming voice echoed across the patio.
Daiki and Yui grabbed their stomachs. Shino and Ryuko were laughing so hard they were crying.
Makoto pulled out her phone. Her thumbs moved at lightning speed as she opened her social media app.
"Hehe.. The internet is losing its mind right now," Makoto laughed.
She scrolled down the trending page. "Listen to this one. 'Muscular went to prison and told the other inmates he got knocked out by a slipper'."
Tomoko giggled and slammed her hands on the table. "Read another one!"
"Someone just posted, 'The Golden Manager doesn't need a Quirk. He just needs a trip to the nearest shoe store'," Makoto read out loud.
She refreshed the page and gasped.
"Look at this!" Makoto shoved her phone across the table. "Someone already edited Muscular event. Under his known weaknesses, it just says 'Rubber Flip-Flops'."
Hahaha.
The table erupted into laughter again. The terrifying A-Rank villain was completely humiliated.
He was a national joke.
Even Kaito smiled and took a drink of his soda. The fear from the afternoon attack was completely gone.
On the other side of the table, Kota looked down at his feet. He was wearing his little red slippers.
He kicked his right slipper off his heel, popping it up into the air. He caught it awkwardly with both hands.
He narrowed his eyes, planted his feet, and swung the slipper through the air like a sword.
Kaito watched him from across the table.
"Keep your wrist loose, Kota," Kaito said casually. "If you lock your wrist, you lose all the snap on the swing."
"...."
Kota froze.
He looked at Kaito, then looked down at his shoe.
He loosened his grip, flicked his wrist, and swung the slipper again. It made a sharp little swoosh sound in the air.
Kota looked up at Kaito with massive, starstruck eyes.
Kaito just gave him a thumbs up and picked up another piece of fish.
*-*-*-*
Date: Three Days Later
The mountain wind blew through the trees. The camping trip was over.
Kaito stood near the back of the Overland Mammoth.
He folded up the heavy metal grill and slid it into the trunk. He grabbed a stack of lawn chairs and tossed them in next.
STEP.
STEP.
Kaito looked down to his left.
Kota was standing right next to him.
The little boy had his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He leaned back on his heels just a little bit, his face completely serious.
He was trying his absolute hardest to copy Kaito's exact resting posture.
For the last two days, Kota had shadowed Kaito everywhere.
If Kaito walked to the kitchen, Kota followed. If Kaito sat on the patio, Kota sat on the floor right next to his chair.
To a little kid, Pro Heroes with flashy Quirks were cool.
But a guy in regular clothes who could dodge a giant monster and slap him to sleep? That was the coolest thing in the entire world.
"You got all your stuff packed, Kota?" Kaito asked.
Kota gave a quick, sharp nod. "Yes."
"Good." Kaito picked up a small canvas bag holding the leftover snacks.
He handed it down to the boy. "Take this over to your dad's car. Guard it."
Kota grabbed the handles tightly. He looked at the bag like it held state secrets and ran off toward the parking lot.
Daiki and Yui walked over from the inn.
Daiki scratched the back of his neck and laughed.
"I think you officially stole my son, Arisaka," Daiki joked. "He won't even tie his shoes the normal way anymore. He keeps trying to flick them up into his hands."
"He just likes the technique," Kaito smiled.
Yui stepped forward. She dropped the jokes and looked Kaito right in the eyes.
"We really mean it, Kaito. Thank you," Yui said softly. "For the vacation, the food, and... for keeping us safe out there."
"Just stay out of trouble down in the city," Kaito told her. "I'll see you both around."
They finished packing the last few bags.
VRMMMMM.
Kaito and Grandma Saki got into the Overland Mammoth with Makoto in the back seat. Kaito started the engine and drove out of the mountain valley.
*-*-*
Two hours later, Kaito pulled up to a familiar apartment building in Naruhata.
Makoto opened the back door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
She stretched her arms over her head and let out a long sigh.
SIGH.
"Back to the grind," Makoto complained. "I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me at the agency. I just really hope Koichi didn't burn the apartment down while I was gone."
Kaito rested his arm on the open window of the truck.
"I am your landlord, Makoto," Kaito reminded her casually. "If he burned the it down, I am just going to charge him for the repairs."
"Hehe," Makoto rolled her eyes.
She leaned back into the truck and gave Grandma Saki a tight hug. "I'll call you tomorrow, Grandma. See you, Kaito."
Makoto waved and walked up the stairs to her apartment.
Kaito rolled the window up and drove the rest of the way home to Shizuoka.
*-*-*-*
Location: Shizuoka - Grandma Saki's House
Time: 08:00 PM
The house was completely quiet.
Kaito sat at the wooden desk in his bedroom. He wore a loose grey hoodie.
Click.
He opened his secure laptop. The screen lit up his face in the dark room.
He logged directly into the Arisaka Consulting main server.
He clicked on his client logs. He scrolled through the data from the last batch of online slots he finished while traveling through Dubai a few months ago.
The numbers were massive.
Capitão Sol in Brazil followed Kaito's blueprints perfectly.
The guy was dominating the night shifts with his new UV storage gear.
Over in China, Great Wall was crushing his new alleyway patrol routes. His arrest rate tripled because villains couldn't run around his heavy body anymore.
Every single overseas agency that paid the four million dollar fee saw their rankings skyrocket.
Kaito cracked his knuckles.
It was time to open the next batch.
Click. Clack. Click.
He clicked over to the main website settings.
He typed the number 10 into the open slot box.
Kaito clicked the green [PUBLISH] button.
For exactly three seconds, the room stayed perfectly quiet.
Then, the internet exploded.
Now, the entire world had seen the viral video concerning Kaito Arisaka.
They saw the Golden Manager stand in front of an A-Rank villain, read his muscles, dodge his full-power punches, and hit him with a rubber flip-flop.
DING.
DING. DING.
DINGDINGDINGDING.
The notification bell on Kaito's laptop went completely insane. It sounded like a rapid-fire machine gun.
The application counter on the top of the screen shot up faster than Kaito could read the names.
[Applications Received: 100]
[Applications Received: 850]
[Applications Received: 3,400]
[Applications Received: 11,200]
Hero agencies from America, Europe, Africa, and Asia were throwing their data files at his server.
They were begging to be picked for the new batch.
Kaito leaned back in his heavy leather chair. He watched the numbers climb past fifteen thousand.
He smiled and closed the laptop screen.
CLICK.
"Eve," Kaito said out loud to the dark room. "Remind me to buy a bigger calendar tomorrow."
...
[A/N]
Thank God. My surgery was a success.
...
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